Towns Named Madrid in the United States

Madrid is synonymous with Spain. It is the famous capital city of Spain and attracts a number of visitors every year. It is the city of choice of many famous novels and features in the classics by Ernest Hemmingway. Now that is wonderful, but the name "Madrid" is not the sole property of Spain. Infact their are several Madrids's in the United States too.

The first such town Madrid is in Maine in the heart of Franklin County. It has a population well under 200 residents and is situated on the picturesque banks of the Sandy River near Salem. Madrid, Maine was settled by Free Baptists way back in 1887. They started seven schoolhouses for the town's children.

The state of Alabama has its own Madrid. This one is little bigger than Madrid, Maine. This town has a population of more than 300 and is located in Houston County which is a part of metropolitan Dothan. Just like Madrid Maine, this town is also named after the famous Spanish city of Madrid.

In 1801, the first settlers named a small area of land next to the Grasse River in New York state Madrid. The name was switched between Madrid and New Madrid until the city council finally ruled the New York town to be called Madrid. Neighboring towns include Potsdam and Lisbon. The town was home to a large and successful grist mill for many years until it was eventually closed. Seated in St. Lawrence County, Madrid is an exquisite town that well represents its namesake.

There is another town in the "Show Me" state named after the Spanish Capital. This town of New Madrid came into existence in the year 1783 after two French settlers settled here and initially named it L’Anse a la Graisse. Now this town of 4.5 square miles area has nearly 3000 inhabitants. New Madrid is nearly 45 miles south of Cape Girardeau and 145 miles south of St. Louis. It lies directly on the New madrid fault line and was totally damaged by earthquakes in 1811.

Also in the Midwestern United States is Madrid, Iowa. Considered a bedroom community of Des Moines, Madrid is a mere 25 miles northwest of Iowa’s capital city. The town, formerly known as Swede Point, was founded in 1846 by Swedish settlers new to this country. In fact, Madrid is the oldest Swedish settlement that has been continuously inhabited west of the Mississippi River. The town was renamed in 1882 and incorporated in 1886, just in time to see prosperity as the railway traveled through the small hamlet.

You can get more information on these towns through their websites. Though few of these towns are small,they are abreast of the latest technological inovations and have a well established presence on the web.

If you want to see Madrid but do not have the time and resources for it, the next best option for you is to visit these "little Madrid's" in your own country. There are several town in USA who trace their roots to the capitals of European countries. Go ahead and discover them in your Atlas.

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Bob Ockers is the owner and operator of F madrid, the web's premier resource for information about madrid. For questions or comments about this article visit: www.fxmadrid.com/articles
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